1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an engaging member for engaging end edge portions of separate components to be connected with each other and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been disclosed an air/water tightness mesh fastener which is an engaging member comprised of a male member and a female member such that they are flexible and can be engaged with each other due to elastic deformation, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 5-76310. This fastener comprises a male engaging row and a female engaging row. The male engaging row is formed such that an entire section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is in the shape of an arrow and engaging portions are provided on both sides of a head portion. The female engaging row is so formed that an entire section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is shaped in letter U. Then, hooking portions are provided on opening edges of a U-shaped concave groove portion such that they oppose each other. Pressing portion is provided bridging side walls of the concave groove portion and a hollow portion is formed at a deeper position.
Engagement between the male engaging row and female engaging row is carried out by an engagement slider or manually. When a head portion of the male engaging row is inserted into the groove portion, the engaging portions engages with the hooking portions.
In case of the above described prior art, the male engaging row is pressed into the groove portion at right angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the female engaging row so that the hooking portion is elastically deformed so as to achieve an engagement between the male engaging row and the female engaging row. Thus, an operation for adjusting the engagement position is troublesome and the engagement is not carried out easily if the members do not have some extent of stiffness in the engaging direction. Further, the female engaging row needs an appropriate elasticity because both engaging rows can be engaged with each other by respective elastic deformation, while the engaging force between the male engaging row and female engaging row increases as the stiffness of both increases. Therefore, easiness of engagement contradicts the engaging force. Further, the engaging member having this structure keeps the engagement against a force perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the engaging portion. Therefore, this engaging member cannot resist a force parallel to the longitudinal direction. If an end portion in the longitudinal direction is not closed, the male engaging row is easily slipped out of the female engaging row.
The present invention has been achieved to solve the above described problems and therefore, an object of the invention is to provide an engaging member which enables a male member and a female member to be engaged with each other easily by sliding them relatively along the longitudinal direction and having a high engaging force and a manufacturing method thereof.
To achieve the above object, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an engaging member comprising a male member to be attached on one of components to be connected with each other and a female member to be attached on the other of the components, engaging projecting portions with which the female member engages being provided on a side edge in the longitudinal direction of the male member, the female member including an accommodating portion formed along the longitudinal direction so as to accommodate the male member and hook-shaped portions with which the engaging projecting portion of the male member engages being formed along the longitudinal direction inside the accommodating portion. In the engaging member, one of the male member and the accommodating portion of the female member has an engaging portion so as to protrude and the other member includes an engaged portion with which the engaging portion engages.
Preferably, a plurality of the engaging portions are formed continuously along the engaging projecting portion of the male member and a plurality of the engaged portions are formed in the accommodating portion of the female member along the longitudinal direction. Further, the engaging portion has a face at right angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the male member from a front end to a proximal end and a face inclined downward with respect to the longitudinal direction of the male member.
Further preferably, the aforementioned male member is engaged with the female member by inserting the engaging projecting portion from an end portion of the accommodating portion of the female member by sliding relatively in parallel. The shape of the engaging portion may be shaped in saw tooth wave, triangular wave, rectangular wave, trapezoidal wave or other.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an engaging member made of synthetic resin or the like, comprising a male member to be attached on one of components to be connected with each other and a female member to be attached on the other of the components, an engaging projecting portion with which the female member engages being provided on a side edge in the longitudinal direction of the male member, the female member including an accommodating portion formed along the longitudinal direction so as to accommodate the male member, and hook-shaped portions with which the engaging projecting portion of the male member engages being formed along the longitudinal direction inside the accommodating portion. In the engaging member, the male member has engaging pieces formed to extend at a predetermined pitch and elastically deformed within the accommodating portion of the female member and the female member contains at least an engaged portion with which the engaging pieces engage provided in the accommodating portion. The engaging pieces are extended inclinedly in an opposite direction with respect to the insertion direction into the female member and the engaged portion is composed of concave portion such as through hole formed within the accommodating portion.
Preferably, the engaging projecting portion of the male member is provided to protrude on both side faces along the longitudinal direction of the male member while the engaging pieces are formed continuously along a longitudinal edge of the male member. At least one of the end portions opposing each other when the male member and the female member engage with each other is cut out obliquely with respect to the insertion direction.
The aforementioned male member is engaged with the female member by inserting the engaging projecting portion from an end portion in the longitudinal direction of the accommodating portion of the female member by sliding relatively in parallel. The shape of the engaging portion may be shaped in wave, acute-angle triangular wave, narrow rectangular wave, narrow trapezoidal wave or other as long as it is flexible.
According to a still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an engaging member made of synthetic resin or the like, comprising a male member to be attached on one of components to be connected with each other and a female member to be attached on the other of the components and formed to be flexible than the male member, engaging projecting portion with which the female member engages being provided on a side edge in the longitudinal direction of the male member, the female member including an accommodating portion formed so as to accommodate the male member and hook-shaped portions with which the engaging projecting portion of the male member engages being formed along the longitudinal direction inside the accommodating portion. In the engaging member, the male member has one or a plurality of engaging pieces formed so as to extend sideways thereof such that the male member is capable of sliding within the accommodating portion of the female member while deforming the female member and the female member contains one or a plurality of engaged portions with which the engaging pieces engage. The aforementioned engaged portion is formed of a concave portion such as a through hole formed within the accommodating portion.
The engaging piece has a face at right angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the male member from its front end to its proximal end and a face inclined downward with respect to the longitudinal direction of the male member.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a manufacturing method of an engaging member comprising the steps of: forming a male member to be attached on one of components to be connected with each other and a female member to be attached on the other of the components by extruding as a long member having a predetermined sectional shape; deforming side faces of the male member and female member as the long members by pressing with a pressing die heated at a predetermined temperature substantially at right angle with respect to the longitudinal direction thereof so as to form engaging portions and engaged portions engageable with each other: and cutting the long members into a predetermined length so as to form the respective engaging members.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a manufacturing method of the engaging member, in which the male member to be attached on one of components to be connected with each other and the female member to be attached on the other of the components are formed by extrusion as a long member having a predetermined sectional shape. The male member and female member as the long members are punched out with a predetermined die or the like so as to form the engaging pieces and engaged portions. Then, the long members are cut into a predetermined length so as to form the respective engaging members.
The engaging member of the present invention achieves engagement of the male member and female member by sliding relatively in the longitudinal direction. With the connected state, the engaging projecting portion of the male member engages with the hook-shaped portion of the female member, thereby resisting a pulling force at right angle with respect to the longitudinal direction. Further, the engagement between the engaging pieces and engaged portions can resist a force in the longitudinal direction so that the connected state is maintained.